House Freedom Caucus Calls On McCarthy To End Pelosi’s Reign
CONSERVATIVE BRIEF | By Carmine Sabia | July 24, 2021
Republicans have taken their most decisive move against House Speaker and California Rep. Nancy Pelosi. They want her removed from her position immediately.
It is a major step and a longshot no doubt, but the House Freedom Caucus sent the letter to House Minority Leader and California Rep. Kevin McCarthy on Friday demanding an end to the “authoritarian reign” of Speaker Pelosi.
“Refusing to seat Rep Jim Jordan & Rep Jim Banks on the Select Committee to Investigate Jan 6th is intolerable. House Freedom Caucus is calling on GOP leader to file and bring up a privileged motion to vacate the chair and end Speaker Pelosi’s authoritarian reign,” the caucus said on Twitter.
Refusing to seat Rep Jim Jordan & Rep Jim Banks on the Select Committee to Investigate Jan 6th is intolerable.
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) July 23, 2021
House Freedom Caucus is calling on GOP leader to file and bring up a privileged motion to vacate the chair and end Speaker Pelosi’s authoritarian reign.
Full letter: pic.twitter.com/u2AsXN5nfg
“We, the House Freedom Caucus, respectfully request that you pursue the authorization of the House Republican Conference, pursuant to Conference rules, to file and bring up a privileged motion by July 31, 2021, to vacate the chair and end Nancy Pelosi’s authoritarian reign as Speaker of the House,” the caucus said in its letter.
“Rule IX, Clause 3 of the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress requires that ‘A resolution causing a vacancy in the Office of Speaker shall not be privileged except if offered by direction of a party caucus or conference,’” it said.
The caucus waned that the Speaker is ruining the House of Representatives and what it stands for with her dictator-like rule.
“Speaker Pelosi’s tenure is destroying the House of Representatives and our ability to faithfully represent the people we are here to serve. Speaker Pelosi has championed unconstitutional changes like allowing proxy voting and insulting security measures like metal detectors for Members coming to the floor to vote,” it said.
“Less easily reversible is the damage done to the institution by the Leadership of one party dictating the ability of Members of another party to serve in roles at the discretion of their own conference. That abuse cannot go unchecked. Speaker Pelosi’s refusal to seat Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Jim Banks on the Select Committee to Investigate January 6 is intolerable,” it said.
The Caucus also pointed to Democrats voting to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committees as another example of abuse of power.
“That this follows the intolerable action of unseating another Republican from her committees makes clear that Speaker Pelosi has no interest in representative democracy, let alone protecting institutional norms. Republicans, under your leadership, must show the American people that we will act to protect our ability to represent their interests,” it said.
McCarthy spoke against the committee and decided to pull all of the Republicans he appointed off of it, after Speaker Pelosi made her decision.
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi has taken the unprecedented step of denying the minority party’s picks for the Select Committee on January 6. This represents an egregious abuse of power and will irreparably damage this institution. Denying the voices of members who have served in the military and law enforcement, as well as leaders of standing committees, has made it undeniable that this panel has lost all legitimacy and credibility and shows the Speaker is more interested in playing politics than seeking the truth,” he said on his website.
“Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republican nominees, Republicans will not be party to their sham process and will instead pursue our own investigation of the facts,” he said.
Pelosi announced her rejection of the appointments in a press release on her website.
“The violent domestic attack on Congress on January 6th was the worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812 and the worst domestic assault on American Democracy since the Civil War. We are facing a radically new threat in the kinds of forces that combined to attack our government on January 6th. The future of our democracy is on the line. This assault was an attempt to overthrow the government.
“We need a comprehensive investigation as to who organized this attack, who paid for it, how they nearly succeeded in overthrowing a presidential election, why they did it, and how we must organize ourselves to prevent anything like it from ever happening again.
“It had been our hope to establish a bipartisan, independent National Commission, but there is no prospect for that Commission at this time because of insufficient support from Republican Senators. Therefore, the House established the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Select Committee on the January 6th Insurrection will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the terrorist mob attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. It will also be charged with reporting its findings, conclusions, and recommendations for preventing future attacks.
“Monday evening, the Minority Leader recommended 5 Members to serve on the Select Committee. I have spoken with him this morning about the objections raised about Representatives Jim Banks and Jim Jordan and the impact their appointments may have on the integrity of the investigation. I also informed him that I was prepared to appoint Representatives Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong, and Troy Nehls, and requested that he recommend two other Members.
“With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee.
“The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision.”
